Governor for the automatic control of brakes of motor vehicles or the like



July 15 l952 J. wl-:lss ET AL 2,603,731

GOVERNOR FOR THE AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF BRAKES v OF MOTOR VEHICLES OR THELIKE Filed Nov. 27, 1948 2 SHEETS- SHEET l July 15, 1952 J. wElss ET AL2,603,731

GOVERNOR FOR THE AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF BRAKES OF MOTOR VEHICLES OR THELIKE Filed Nov. 27. 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 FISQ.

patented Jul-y 15, 11952 23603,7 Iii-1.

Ydovannoia Fon THE 10F BRAKES OFMOT vJosephV ,Weiss and Abraham`-.V.Ye1ss,; New-YQf-k N. Y.; 'said Abraham Weissfassignontolsaid JosephWeiss Application-November 27, 1948,*Serial No. 62,3786

'..This application is acontinuationzinpart of ouipendingTapplicationSer. #3,736 led January *22, 19.48, now. abandoned,.pertaining .to a. brake controlisystem andour present invention.relates to anlimprovement .of .said system.

The Ichiei. object of this .inventionis to. provide agovernorthat willbe capable of eiectivfely operatingl at minimum 'force and speed.

.Another Objectis to provide agovernor which by vsuitable controlmeansv.will be -capableof .trappingdandstoringsenergy, for operating anelectric. switchor the like,iand also .the spending .of said energy.

Still other objects will `appearfrom the following detailed descriptionof. our invention.

.Inthe accompanying drawings which.. constitute part of thisspecification and in. which similar reference characters denote..corresponding parts:

- Fig. lxis a vertical-:section of'one embodiment ofour. new governorshown in connection rwith the electric means for controlling the.brakes;

,Fig. 2His a vertical section of kanother forinvof construction ofthenew governor;

.Fig..3-isacross sectionon lines 3-3-0'fFg. 2;

-.F"ig.4is.asimilar section to-Figs. 1 and2` otstill anotherform of'construction A.of our governor,

Fig. 5 a cross sectionon'line 5 5 of 'Figi 4, and

Figov is a sectional elevation ofa lmodification ofa slippingcoupling.

lI-n-"thepresent example "-weV have shown the newgovernorl usedy `forthe .control of hydraulic brakes. We do not,l however, conneourselvestobrake controlpfsince lthe governor may be equally-effective'-tocontrolJthe operation f any apparatus-where minimum force and speed lisessential..

YReferring to the .presentexample and first to the embodiment showninFig. 1, ithe'hydraulic brake control systemcoinprises the brakepedal Poperatively. .connected to vthe `plunger of the master fluid cylinder..M which .through conduits t, Stdt?, communicates withthebrakeiiuidcylinders .of .the wheels,..W1,.-W2 of `amotor vehicle (not lshownl..'-The'sconduitxtz.leadinginto the cylinder of wheels .W2 is. controlledby. aV valve -V adapted Lto be actuated r electrically .by means ofsolenoidfSVwhile the conduit itl, leadsdirectly from the master cylinderM intothefluid cylinder of Lthe driven v'wheelsW1 whose brakes arenotaffected bylthe'said electric means. u B denotes` a battery,- 1I-fanignition switch, A :the accelerator pedal ar id-'I-I' -'anv electricswitch adapted to be closedlvwhen the accelerator `is releasedi asin theposition shown, and'` to be openedr when the said accelerator isactuated for fuel feeding.

l 1113 anims. (01.520,071153) vOur newgovernor I0-is. adapted tocontrolka. switchfof` said `batterycircuit; together withtheacceleratorsswitchH550 that atminimum speed of ".,the governor, theswitch controlled by it will break thebattery circuit, therebydeener-hgizing thesolenoids` yand:releasing the brakes. Qur new governor:comprises -ag frame. or housing II formedwith bea-rings I2at.diametricallytopposite ends in'whic'h isV rotatively bornegashaft I3, which may be suitably coupled to. anysuitable 'd riyen part of thevehicle, such. asfthgspeedometer (notshown). rFix'edgon said :shaft ;l,3maybe aperrnanent-inagnet I4, vin whose magneticgfle-,ld is :mountedits; armature 15, rotatively supported on theg-.shaft I3,andadaptedytofbe impelled therefrom. yon its outer raceteam armature.'is formed with twoor more 4ramps or tapered `recesses or'sockets'Ita,whichserveas cams and lwhich*movablyfbear balls I6, These ballsk projectoutwardly from the deep end of said ,canisanpd through circular holesI-'I1 provided in al circular guide plate I Lisomew-hat axiallysnacdzfrom said armature. Adapted :to constantlybeandirectly onfthe'outwardlyvprojecting ends `of' theballs I 6 is an., element :I 8.;mounted lon .saidgshaft soV `as to be displaceable axially thereon. Inthepresent .embodimentgthis element iszshown to comprises. pairofparallelly disposed circular ball bearing disks. The-'element v|28is.; adapted to be held in, .close contact o with .the balls, :I 6 vby., 'a.,sui tab;le springizZ. so thatwhen displaced axially, `vaspwilibe presently explained, it will actuate an electric switch 2Iwhichrtogetherwithswitch -Hcontroils the electric circuit through`tl1e;.solenoid S.

The ygui`de...plate `I1 is. suitably vgeared to an energytrappingorstoring and spendinginechanism, such as anescapement. 22, of.anyV conventional or suitableV construction. 'To 4this end,-theperiphery .ofthe guide plate. I'I is toothedas 'at I T?- andadaptedtomesh with a. pinion y231iixed on 'a rotary spindleJM. bearing. theratchet .25, paw1f 26. andv .balance wheel-21. fof .the iescap'ement.

rlhe rguide plate 'I"I:.has. a pin 'connectionz with fthe armature I 5.This ypin .connection 28 is optionaland not necessary to the vfunctionofthel device, serving only as an` auxiliary. means to limit the amount oftravel between guide plate I Il and` cam plate vI 5.

The. rotation lof .the shaft @I 3. will lbe vtransmitted to thearmature. Y.I5 which through balls- 16` .will drivetheguide plate Il.Whenrthe speedofrotationvo .the shaft .exceeds :the escapenientlimitedspeed of ltheguide vplate Il, the balls VHiborneby the armature. will beicaused toimovethroughethe openings y .off ,theguide plate. l1 against:the relej ment `vI 8 'di'splacingthelatter axially. r The .switch 2|comprises a movable contact member 2| a, which by spring (not shown) isheld in contact with a stationary contact 2lb, so that when said movablecontact member 2Ia is displaced from its normal position, it will openthe switch 2|.

The mode of operation of our brake control system is as follows:

When the vehicle is brought to a standstill, on the depression of thebrake pedal P and the release of the accelerator A, the switches H and2| are closed, so that the battery circuit along line a, closed switchH, closed switch 2|, line b through the solenoid S will be closed,energizing the latter and thereby closing the valve V, thereby trappingthe fluid in the brake cylinders of the wheels W2, and locking thebrakes.

If it is desired to unlock the brakes, without depressing theaccelerator, in order to prevent skidding over icy or muddy roads, thebrake pedal P may bemoved to release the brakes on wheel'Wlj This willpermit the vehicle to move either forward or in the reverse. By suchmotion the'shaft I3 will begin to rotate and with it the magnet |4. Now,if the torque load on guide plate -I 'I has been adjusted through meansof spring 20 and escapement 22 to permit the synchronized movement ofguide plate I1 with cam plate I5 to a certain low speed, say only 2 R.P. M., then if the speed of the shaft exceeds that speed, the guideplate I'| will cause the balls to axially displace the element I8 whichin its turn will move the contact member 2|a and cause the opening ofswitch 2|, thereby disenergizing the solenoid S. Axial movement of balls6 can be limited by means vcfa suitable stop, such as collar 20a.

When the speed of the shaft falls below 2 R. P. M. or when the shaftstops, the guide plate Il is caused to return to neutral position byspring 20.

In Figs. 2 and 3, the armature |51 which is magnetically actuated to bein frictional engagement with magnet I4 is geared as at 33a to anauxiliary plate 30 rotatively mounted on a spindle 33 and bearing theballs I6 which project through openings in the guide plate Ila. Thelatter is provided with a pin 3| projecting through an arcuate slot 30hof said auxiliary plate 30 and actuated by a spring 32. The guide plateIla is also rotatively mounted on the spindle 33 and axially spacedtherefrom is an element |81 rotatively and slidably mounted on spindle33 in close contactwith the balls I 6 by spring 35. In thismodicationthe guide plate Ila is geared to the escapement 22 at 22a. Theelement |81 is adapted to actuate the switch 2| in the same manner as inFig. l. Pin 3|, slot 30h and spring 32 are optional and not necessary tothe function of the device. The spring 35 can be utilized (similarly tospring 2G in Fig. 1) to provide the necessary action to return balls t6to their neutral position. The spring (not shown) of the switch 2| mayalso be utilized to return balls I6, and in this instance spring 35 mayalso be dispensed with as superfluous. Axial movement of ballsv I6 canbe limited through adjustable collar 35a.

In the modifications shown in Figures 4 and 5, the armature |'|b has aresilient connection with a plate 36 spaced therefrom axially androtatively mounted on the driven shaft I3. This connection comprises aspring urged pin 31, projecting into a concentric slot 36a of the plate3B. Provided on the outer face of said plate 38 are two insulatedconcentric electric conductors, 38, 39, between which at some suitablepoint are proarmature I lb to the extent limited by said escapement thecontact member 42 will be moved out of its normal switch closingposition (shown), thereby opening the electric circuit controlled by Thestructures as depicted employ drives permitting slip when the torqueload is in excess of its predetermined and set rated capacity. Thisprevents excess overspeeding and overloading of the escapement andpermits operation of the governor, without damaging effect, when thespeed of the drive is to be much greaterv than that for which thegovernor is set to operate.

The governor may be modified in various ways. Thus, instead of magneticaffected transmission means of motion from the shaft to the escapementcontrolled means, any suitable coupling may be used, such as fluiddrive, spring-actuated friction drive and/ or diiferential coupling.These are all well known and commonly used types of drives. Thus, inFig. 6 the part I-4a may lbe a disk fixed on the shaft I3 which throughsuitable means, such as a disk of Bakelite 44, or the like, has africtional engagement with the plate 36, shown in Fig. 4 or the armatureshown in Fig. 1 or that of the magnetically and frictionally engagedarmature shown in Fig. 2.

The governor may also be operated by direct drive or coupling, where thespeed of thedriving shaft does not cause a too excessive strain or loadupon the control means.

The governor shown is adaptedto operate in any direction of rotation ofthe shaft I3. When it is desired to have the governor operate in onedirection only, a suitable reversing gear (not shown) may be employedbetween said shaft and the driving part of the vehicle.

What we claim is:

1. A governor for controlling a movable element of a device, comprisinga driven rotary member, a second member in close` proximity to saiddriven member and capable of receiving motion therefrom, meansassociated with said second member and adapted to limit the speed ofsaid second member to a predetermined rotation and means responsive tosaid secondmember when the latter reaches said predetermined rotation toactuate said movable element. 2. A governor for controlling a switch ofan electric circuit, comprising a driven rotary member; a second memberin close proximity to said driven member and capable of receiving motiontherefrom, means associated with said second member and adapted to limitthe speed of said secondmember to a predetermined rotation and meansresponsive to. said second memberv when the latter reaches saidpredetermined rotation to actuate said switch. .A Y

3. A governor for controlling a movable element of a device, comprisinga driven member, Va second member adapted to be impelled magneticallyfrom said first member, means associated with said second member andadapted to limit the speed of the latter to a predetermined rota.- tion,and means responsive to said second inem?` member when the latterreaches said predetermined rotation to actuate said electric switch.

6. A governor according to claim 5, in which said element is axiallydisplaceable relative to said member.

7. In a motor vehicle, a governor and a switch actuated by saidgovernor, said governor comprising driven rotary means, a member inclose proximity to said driven means and adapted to receive motiontherefrom, an element operatively connected to said member, means forlimiting the speed of said member to a predetermined rotation and meansresponsive to said member when the latter reaches said predeterminedrotation to actuate said switch.

8. A governor according to claim 5 in which said switch comprises a pairof concentric insulated electric conductors in said element and meansassociated with said rotary member adapted to normally close contactbetween said conductors and to open the same when moved away from itsnormal position.

`9. A governor according to claim 5 in which means are provided to causesaid element to be displaced axially relative to said rotary member,when the speed of said rotary body tends to exceed that of said rotarymember.

10. A governor for controlling a movable element of a device comprisinga driven member, a second member capable of receiving motion from saiddriven member, means including an escapement associated with said secondmember and adapted to affect said motion and means affected by saidaffected motion to actuate said movable pelled therefrom, a memberhaving ramps on a face thereof, said member being driven by saidarmature, balls movably borne in said ramps, a guide plate having holesthrough which said balls pass, an element displaceable axially re1 ativeto said member and bearing directly on said balls and means formaintaining close contact between said balls and said element.

12. A coupling capable of transferring rotary motion into that of axialmotion and also capable of transferring axial motion into rotary motion,comprising a magnet fixed on a shaft, an armature rotatively supportedon said shaft within the field of said magnet and adapted to be impelledtherefrom, a member having ramps on a face thereof, said member beingdriven by said armature, balls movably borne in said ramps, a guideplate having holes through which said balls pass, an elementdisplaceable axially relative to said member and bearing directly onsaid balls and spring means for maintaining close contact between saidballs and said element.

13. A coupling capable of transferring rotary motion into that of axialmotion and also capable of transferring axial motion into rotary motioncomprising a magnet fixed on a shaft, an armature rotatably supported onsaid shaft within the field of said magnet and adapted to be impelled bythe magnet, a member having cam surfaces, said member being driven bysaid armature, balls movably borne on said cam surfaces, an elementdisplaceable axially relative to said member and bearing directly onsaid balls and means for maintaining close contact between said ballsand said element.

JOSEPH WEISS. ABRAHAM WEISS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 277,179 Weston May 8, 18832,004,909 Benson June 11, 1935 2,119,247 Scott May 31, 1938 2,187,207McCabe Jan. 16, 1940 2,235,412 Weiss Mar. 18, 1941 2,243,655 Scott May27, 1941 y2,308,822 Murphy Jan. 19, 1943 2,313,412 Goepfrich Mar. `9..1943

